What are human rights?

Human rights are rights inherent to

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our
nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour,
religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to
our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all
interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in
the forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles
and other sources of international law. International human rights law
lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to
refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights
and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

Universal and inalienable

The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of
international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in
the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated
in numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and
resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for
example, noted that it is the duty of States to promote and protect all
human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political,
economic and cultural systems.

All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have
ratified four or more, of the core human rights treaties, reflecting
consent of States which creates legal obligations for them and giving
concrete expression to universality. Some fundamental human rights norms
enjoy universal protection by customary international law across all
boundaries and civilizations.

Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except
in specific situations and according to due process. For example, the
right to liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a
crime by a court of law.

Interdependent and indivisible

All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and
political rights, such as the right to life, equality before the law and
freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as
the rights to work, social security and education , or collective
rights, such as the rights to development and self-determination, are
indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. The improvement of one
right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation
of one right adversely affects the others.

Equal and non-discriminatory

Non-discrimination
is a cross-cutting principle in international human rights law. The
principle is present in all the major human rights treaties and provides
the central theme of some of international human rights conventions
such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women.

The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and
freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of
non-exhaustive categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The
principle of non-discrimination is complemented by the principle of
equality, as stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and
rights.”

Both Rights and Obligations

Human rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume
obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect
and to fulfil human rights. The obligation to respect means that States
must refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human
rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals
and groups against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means
that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of
basic human rights. At the individual level, while we are entitled our
human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others.